


Inevitable • markmin - nomin

by porcelainbae



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Lee Jeno & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26440801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainbae/pseuds/porcelainbae
Summary: Mark never planned to feel love, to be in love, with his best friend’s boyfriend. But, hey, people say loves come unexpectedly, and falling for Jaemin was inevitable.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 61





	Inevitable • markmin - nomin

  
  


“A photoshoot?” 

Mark nods. 

He walks next to his best friend, Jeno, towards the big glass doors of the building. It’s one of the few days where their last period match and they can walk back to the dorms together. Being a photography major and having an architecture major as a friend is not the ideal match when it comes to constantly seeing each other. Mark’s schedule is fucked up, but Jeno’s… he still doesn’t understand how Jeno manages to be a top student, to have a decent sleeping schedule, and, on top of that, having a stable relationship with the perfect boyfriend. 

Mark has known Jeno for almost his whole life. Their paths met during elementary school and it never grew apart. Since then to high school and now to college, Mark and Jeno were always together. It was always the two of them. And then Jaemin appeared. 

To be honest, Mark still hasn’t met Jaemin yet, then again their schedules are completely different to the point of just knowing the other’s name. Mark knows Jaemin is quite popular among the students and that’s it. 

“It’ll replace the final test so I really have to ace it,” Mark adds a few seconds later.

“You’ll have to find the perfect model, then.”

The older nods again and flashes Jeno a look that he knows way too well. The way his eyes become slightly bigger and his lips are pursed in a pout, all of that usually makes Jeno do whatever his best friend wants only to make him stop such a cringe face. Yet, this time it fails.

“I would, you know,” Jeno mumbles as they cross the glass doors, “but I have to work on three different models and I have no idea how I’ll do it all. Sorry, man.”

Mark rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. Now he’s screwed. Most of his class already had someone to work with, and Jeno is usually the one who helps Mark with whatever he needs to do. The chances to find another amazing model are so minimal that he can see himself taking the course again the next year.

A soft  _ ding  _ sounds from Jeno’s pocket, but Mark decides to ignore it. He really needs to find another model soon or…

“Maybe I know someone who would actually help you,” Jeno says shortly after and Mark snaps his head towards him. 

Damn, he loves his best friend. 

-

Mark checks his phone again. It’s almost time for him to finally meet him. It’s kind of funny how they never saw each other and yet Jaemin was so eager to help him with his project. It took Jeno just a few messages and the mention of Mark’s name to make Jaemin clean his days for three weeks so he could help the man he still didn’t know. 

Just for that, Mark likes him already. 

They decided to meet on campus, right in front of the Architecture Department only because they have the prettiest garden and benches of all the university. It’s actually a crowded place but Jaemin told him it would be easy to find the other. Even more, since Jaemin right now has a beautiful -Jeno’s words- blue hair.

He finds a comfortable spot between two of the big trees the department has in the entrance and decides to wait there. Before he lets his mind dwell into his own thoughts, a light tap on his shoulder makes him turn around and  _ oh- _

_ Oh. _

_ Oh. _

The first thing he sees is a big smile, then a pair of big brown eyes catch his attention. As the seconds pass by, Mark has a better view of the boy and now he understands why everyone seems to be so whipped for him.

He would usually avoid popular people because they have this thing, they think they’re better than others. It doesn’t matter if they’re in high school or college, it seems like this kind of  _ popular _ stays the same. So yeah, he wasn’t totally sure if Jaemin and he would click. Sure, he had good information but Jeno could always be biased, right?

Now, it only took Mark a single glance to know Jaemin is worthy. A single glance and Mark is totally sure Jaemin is not like the others. Maybe it’s that shine in his eyes or how sweet his smile is, or maybe it’s because he unconsciously brings back all the good memories Jeno shared with him about Jaemin. Whatever the reason was, the only thing that matters is that Mark is smiling too. A little bit too big, a little bit too honest. A little bit too into it.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you!” Jaemin says and  _ wow,  _ his voice is not what he was expecting. 

“I’m happy to meet you too,” Mark replies softly, “I’ve heard a lot of things about you.”

That simple statement seems to make the younger surprised. Mark confirms it soon when Jaemin asks if that’s real.

“Jeno talks about you every time we’re together,” he says as Jaemin sits next to him under the trees. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him this whipped,” Mark adds, and the younger laughs.

“He talks about you more than what he did with Yeeun.”

Another smile and Mark’s heart start to ache inside his ribcage.

“It’s good to know that,” Jaemin mumbles and Mark has to control himself to not coo at how lovely his reddened cheeks make him look. 

A nice, comfortable silence grows between them. It’s Jaemin who gives the step to keep their conversation ongoing.

“So, Jeno told me about a photoshoot?” He asks softly.

“Ah, yes! I’m sorry, I got distracted!”

And for the next hour, Mark explains to him what his work is about and how important it is for his grades - _ it’ll replace the final test! _ . Surprisingly during that hour Jaemin never did a single thing to make Mark believe he was not listening to him. Contrary to what he usually hears from his classmates, when they really suffer to create a good environment with their models, Jaemin made it feel so easy. He listened to him carefully, he asked little questions every now and then, and just made Mark feel like he was also as excited about the project as Mark himself was. 

“Three times a week will be okay?” Jaemin wonders as they walk towards the dorms.

“Yeah,” the older nods. “At least during the first week, we’ll work together to find the perfect concept for you.” 

“I know you’ll do an amazing job,” the blue-haired boy adds. “I trust you.” 

Mark’s heart beats a little bit faster for a few moments.

But it’s only because Jaemin complimented his work, right?

_ Right? _

“Oh, I’ll stop right here.” 

Their steps suddenly stop and out of curiosity Mark looks around. It feels kinda  _ funny _ inside when he realizes they’re in front of Jeno’s building. 

“Do you live here too?” 

And of course, Jaemin shakes his head. 

“My unit is at the other end of the campus, but I usually stay with Jen because it’s closer to the Music Department.” 

_ Oh. _

“I see,” Mark frowns a little but Jaemin doesn’t notice it, too busy climbing the short stairs to the entrance of the building. “Say hi to Jeno for me, then!”

“I will once he gets home! Gotta go, I promise I’d prepare his favorite food for dinner today.” Jaemin flashes another big smile towards him before disappearing behind the black door.

The uncomfortable feeling in his chest is only because of the cold weather.

☘︎︎☘︎︎☘︎︎

He shouldn’t. Mark knows he shouldn’t be where he is now, but he couldn’t help it. It was like his feet had life, they were the ones that made him walk all the way from the Art Department to the Music one. They were the ones who guided him up to the fourth floor and to the second door on the left. 

It was not his fault, honestly, because he knows it’s bad and he shouldn’t be waiting for Jaemin outside his classroom. 

But he is and there’s not much he can do now. Not when he knows the morning classes will end soon and so the students will be out of the classrooms. As if on cue, a bell rings, and the once quiet hallway is now filled with laughs, people chatting and the echo of footsteps on the floor. 

Mark is leaning on the wall with his eyes fixed on his shoes and his arms crossed on top of his chest. He wants to believe he can pass as a regular music student now that he totally regrets his life decisions and where they put him through. But it’s too late and he knows that too. It’s too late because he can recognize Jaemin’s voice coming out of the classroom. 

_ And no, he totally didn’t repeat the boy’s laugh on his head enough to know it by heart. A big no-no. _

“Mark?” 

When Mark lifts his gaze, he meets Jaemin’s big eyes and that pretty smile of his. The boy looks confused and he knows he has a lot of reasons too, but somehow he’s glad to see a tiny spark in his eyes nevertheless. 

“H-Hey,” the older greets with a smile. 

Jaemin quickly says goodbye to the girl he was walking with,  _ Shin Ryujin _ . Mark knows her too. 

“Did you have a class here?” Jaemin asks, finding a spot next to him. By then Mark knows there’s no point in trying to disguise himself so he shakes the awkwardness and instead smiles at the blue-haired boy. 

“No,” he replies with a little smile. “I-I- well, I wanted to talk to you and I remembered you told me you had classes here and…” 

“Is it about the photoshoot?” Mark nods. Jaemin smiles wider and points the path to the stairs with a slight move of his head. “Then why don’t you tell me more as we go out?” 

“D-Don’t you have another class soon?” 

Jaemin shakes his head and stops a few steps away. “What about you? Do you have classes soon?” 

Mark denies too, rapidly walking until he’s standing next to the younger. “My classes are over for today.” 

“Then why don’t we grab a coffee while you tell me more about your project?” 

“I have an idea for the concept.” 

“Oh, really?!” 

Jaemin stops again, this time with a foot on the stairs. He then turns around and gives Mark another of his signature smile, completely oblivious of how that little act made the older’s cheeks tint pink. 

“You’re really amazing, Mark Lee,” he says and resumes his steps to the lower floors. 

Behind him, Mark needs to take a deep breath to erase the funny feeling inside his chest. 

_ But it’s only because Jaemin praises his work. _

_ - _

Mark has an idea. 

Well, more than an idea, it’s like words and meanings that merge together. He is sure only of one thing.

“So, what is it?” 

Jaemin appears in front of him, carrying a little tray with two glasses and a piece of black forest cake. His eyes are fixed on him as he puts everything on the table and walks back to the counter to give back the tray. He then approaches the table, and this time he sits in front of Mark. 

“Two?” The older boy asks.

“One is for you. I had no idea what do you like so I, um, went for something sweet? If you don’t like it you can have my americano-”

“N-No! It’s okay, I like it.” 

By now, Mark is sure Jaemin’s laugh is like a drug to him. 

“But you haven’t tried it yet!” Jaemin mumbles and  _ oh, God.  _

_ That smile. _

So Mark does what any other person would’ve done if they were him. He instantly took the large glass between his hands and hurriedly drank as much as he could of it. The sweet taste invades his taste buds as he puts the drink down. He thinks if he could taste Jaemin, he’s sure he would be as sweet as the Caramel Macchiato Jaemin ordered for him.

“You didn’t have to-”

“You got my drink right,” Mark says with a little smile, and Jaemin seems pleased with that answer. 

The next minutes pass in silence, with both of them taking sips from their drinks and Jaemin trying to make the other boy try the cake he brought too. Mark did, and he hopes Jaemin didn’t notice his red cheeks when the boy held the fork to feed him.

“So, what’s the concept you thought of?” 

Mark has a difficult time trying to control his beating heart, but somehow he manages to do it, or at least enough to be able to reply to his question without stuttering.

“It’s more like… words?” he mumbles, “fruits, magic, and high class. It might seem random but I-”

“I know it’ll be amazing even if I don’t quite get it all. It’s okay. I really trust you on this.”

And again, Mark doesn’t quite understand why his heart races like that. Why his hands suddenly become sweaty, why he feels his face burning, and why the only thing he can think of is holding the hand Jaemin has resting on top of the table.

He doesn’t understand much about why he feels like that, but he knows one thing for sure:

_ It’s not just because Jaemin seems to like his work. It doesn’t have anything to do with the praises the boy gives him. _

_ And that won’t change, no matter how hard Mark tries to.  _

☘︎︎☘︎︎☘︎︎

“Hey,” as soon as Mark enters the room, Jaemin flashes him one of the smiles he’s learned to love ever since the first time he saw it.

It’s the second week of them working together, and by now Mark is completely sure Jaemin is from outer space. There’s no way for someone to be as handsome, as pretty, as lovable and so freaking good at modeling in their first try. So yeah, Mark doesn’t believe the younger boy when he assures it was his first time in front of a camera lens. 

After the nice experience of guiding Jaemin as the photographer, now Mark has to do the rest of the work. Surprisingly Jaemin agreed to keep hanging out when Mark asked him about it.

_ I wanna be present for the whole process,  _ he said and let out a chuckle that made Mark blush.  _ Photography is one of my hobbies too, maybe I can learn a thing or two from a real professional like you. _

And yes. After that Mark had to hide his face under the cap and the hoodie he, luckily, wore that day.

And that’s how they ended like this, hanging out in an empty room Mark asked his department to use. It’s usually the same classroom of every day so Jaemin already knows his way there. 

The idea of having the boy waiting for him is still thrilling for Mark.

“You’re late,” Jaemin mumbles as soon as the older guy closes the door behind him. He fails to notice his hands hiding something behind his back thanks to the dim lights of the room. 

“Yeah,” says Mark and scratches his nape nervously. “But I had a good reason to, tho.”

Jaemin raises an eyebrow and looks at him expectantly. 

Of course, nothing prepares him for what happens next.

From behind his back, Mark pulls a single red rose, and slowly hands it to the blue-haired boy.

Jaemin opens his eyes slightly wide and takes a little to accept the gesture, but he soon ends up taking the rose between his fingers. 

It’s automatic, he brings the rose closer to his face and smells the fresh scent of it. It’s automatic, the smile on his face grows bigger to the point he’s now showing his white teeth. 

And Mark… well, he finds out there’s another smile to add to the list he secretly keeps for the things he likes from Jaemin. 

“Where did you get it?” the younger boy wonders as he eyes the flower for a little bit more. 

Mark then hesitates. He scratches his nape again and clears his throat when the well-known warm feeling rushes to his face. He then is glad that the lights are not that bright so he doesn’t have to worry about Jaemin finding out his blushed cheeks.

“Someone was selling them out of my dorm building. It was not that expensive so, yeah, we gotta help if someone needs it, right?”

Silence. Jaemin is looking directly at him and that only worsens Mark’s red face. He can feel how the younger’s eyes travel on him, how he spends some time on his eyes to then move somewhere else, his nose maybe? 

Maybe Jaemin is trying to figure out if he’s telling the truth and maybe Mark is so ready to tell it that…

“You have a big heart, Mark.”

_ Huh? _

“Can I really keep it?”

Mark blinks once. Twice. And then he smiles, he softly chuckles and starts to nod his head as fast as he can. 

“Keep it. It’s a thank you gift.” 

Jaemin doesn’t need more information. He gives him another of the smiles Mark likes and takes even less to take his phone out from the pocket of his jacket. 

Mark sees the boy take a picture of himself with said rose, and he doesn’t need to be a genius to know who he is texting next. 

“Jeno says he loves it too!”

_ Yeah, sometimes Mark forgets about that little thing. _

He’s glad he’s been doing the same editing process for almost four years now, that his body moves automatically. 

His head is filled with thoughts, with things he usually tries to keep at the back of his mind whenever he’s with Jaemin, but his words from earlier triggered something in him and now he can’t stop thinking.

Is he being a bad friend? He knows he surely is. Who in the world would fall for his best friend’s boyfriend? Who in the world would wake up three hours earlier than expected just to dress nicely and travel to the other end of the city? Who would do that only to get to one of the most expensive flower shops to buy a single rose after the person they like told them that’s actually one of his favorite flowers? 

Who would travel all the way back to the campus to meet said boy and pretend it’s not a big deal?

Who would do all of that?

Yeah. 

Mark would. And Mark did.

He looks briefly to his side and finds Jaemin’s eyes focused on the big screen in front of them, the ghost of a smile still hanging from his lips.

And so he wonders, is it for Jeno’s message or maybe… maybe is it for the rose he gave him?

-

“You’re really talented! You make it all look so easy!”

The good thing of having a great model like Jaemin is that Mark needs to do only little corrections. He would spend hours and hours fixing photos and editing them, but somehow with the shoots he has from Jaemin he really doesn’t need to do much. 

Jaemin is perfect, and he wastes no time to let him know that.

“It’s all because of the model.”

He catches a glimpse of tinted cheeks from the blue-haired and that’s enough to make Mark smile wider. Such simple things make his day better.

They’re about to cross the entrance door when Jaemin stops all of the sudden. Mark does too and he turns around to see the boy holding his tummy while pouting a little. 

Before Mark gets to ask what’s wrong, Jaemin looks at him  _ with that oh-so-cute face of him. _

“I’ll go grab something to eat. Don’t worry about me.”

But Mark does. And also, he can’t let any opportunity slide.

So he does what his heart asks him to.

“Do you remember the place you told me about?”

Jaemin shakes his head a little, tilting it to the side trying to recap all the conversations they had the past few days.

“About the restaurant,” Mark clarifies and Jaemin suddenly nods.

“Did you get to go there?” the older asks again.

“No,” Jaemin replies with a soft tone, “Jeno’s been really busy lately so—”

“Let’s go now. I’m also hungry and… yeah.”

He sees Jaemin bite his lip in hesitation. Of course he would, he probably overstepped his boundaries and—

“Sure, why not?”

And just like that all of Mark’s worries disappear. 

_ Maybe,  _ he thinks as they walk to the restaurant Jaemin has been dying to visit for some time now,  _ maybe I have a chance? _

☘︎︎☘︎︎☘︎︎

It’s natural by now. As if it has always been like this before.

As soon as his class is dismissed, Mark storms out of the place and runs as fast as he can from his department to the one Jaemin is also having classes. 

By then the two of them have spent enough time together for Mark to know his schedule even better than he knows his own. 

He runs through the hallway and all the way up to the fourth floor, and when he spots the boy, his body moves automatically to embrace the one and only Na Jaemin, who can only laugh when his feet are no longer on the floor.

“I did it! Got a perfect score!” 

That’s all Jaemin needs to start chanting Mark’s name and to hug him back while the older keeps him in the air. None of them mind the people around them, none of them pay attention to the curious eyes that try to pry. The only thing in Mark’s mind is Jaemin and how good he feels in between his arms, how perfect he fits there as if he was made to be there.

“I knew it!” Jaemin exclaims when he’s back on the floor. “You’re really amazing, and talented, and all the good adjectives I can think of!”

Mark can’t hold back the happiness that shows as a bright laugh.

“It’s actually because of the perfect model I got to work with! Nana, it’s all because of you.”

Yes. Mark is also in the Nana stage, and he hopes soon he can call him  _ love. _

“I did only a little, it’s because of you. I’m so proud of you, Mark!”

He hugs the younger boy a little bit tighter before letting Jaemin go, and  _ oh my god, Jaemin’s cheeks look adorable when pink. _

“Are you free now? Let me treat you.”

Jaemin raises an eyebrow, Mark knows what it means.  _ Because he knows him way too well now. _

“You already know my sched,” the blue-haired mumbles, earning another laugh from the older one.

“I do but I still wanna ask you out.”

This time when silence grows between them, Mark is not afraid. Something inside him tells him there’s nothing to worry about. Something inside him assures him Jaemin’s face got redder and that’s all he really cares about. Any reaction from Jaemin now only feeds his illusions because he knows they’re true. It’s all true.

Even when Jaemin doesn’t reply, Mark grabs his hand and guides their way to the stairs.

“I also wanted to ask you something else.”

A little way too into his own excitement, Mark fails to notice how Jaemin’s body stiffens after his words.

“There’ll be a party tonight at Felix’s place. Wanna go? A lot of people will be there, it’ll be fun.”

Slowly, they both make their way down until they’re finally on the first floor. 

Jaemin hasn’t replied  _ yet,  _ but that’s okay since the place is way too crowded to hear him anyway. 

That’s how Mark keeps pulling him until they’re finally out of the building, being greeted by the lovely sunset in the horizon.

It all makes him feel as if he was the main character of another romantic movie. It feels like the end of the film is slowly approaching, and that can only mean one thing.

“So,” he starts as they walk into the green path flowing with trees and some other plants. A bush with red roses makes his heart race, “are you free? It’ll be fun, I swear. Almost all the people from my department will be there.”

And again, Mark is too focused on how everything makes him feel that he fails to read Jaemin’s hesitation as they take a turn towards the dorms. Jaemin’s dorm building, to be exact. 

“I-I don’t think I can.”

The little stutter is enough to make Mark coo. 

“Why? You don’t have classes tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but—”

“C’mon, Nana. Please, please? I really want to see you there.”

Jaemin is way too good for his own good. He’s way too nice, and he wants to make the people around him happy. Mark knows it all too, so when the boy nods his head, the older feels like it’s another battle win, even if deep down he knows Jaemin is doubting.

“I’ll come pick you up,” Mark says with a big smile as soon as they reach Jaemin’s portal.

The blue-haired boy quickly shakes his head. “It’s not necessary.”

“I know, but I wanna do it.”

“It’s okay, really. Just send me the address, I’ll see you there.”

The photographer then knows it’s pointless when Jaemin pulls out the pout card on him so he ends up agreeing.

As he walks to his own place, Mark’s head is filled with Jaemin.

_ Can’t wait to have these little disagreements with you, Nana. Didn’t think I would love it. _

-   
  


There are a lot of things Mark could focus his attention on, like the bright colorful lights that add life to the place; or maybe the loud music that has everyone there dancing like there’s no tomorrow. Or even maybe the subtle smell of something that is not allowed but it’s still present in that big, big house.

But none of them seem interesting enough for him. At least not when he has the most beautiful boy just some steps away from him. 

Under the lights Jaemin is glowing. His hair, his subtle makeup, his clothes. Everything makes him look like a star,  _ Mark’s star, and he loves it. _

Jaemin is talking to a friend, Shin Ryujin. The same girl he saw him with three weeks before is back again next to his boy.

_ His boy. _

_ That sounds right. _

They’re talking and Mark can see how Jaemin’s smile grows bigger after something the little girl says. Maybe she told him a joke, maybe…  _ maybe they’re talking about him? _

That mere thought makes the boy smile too. 

The music changes as Mark approaches the pair, two cups of vodka on hand for them.

“There you go, angels,” he says once he’s standing next to Jaemin. 

Ryujin quickly accepts the cup he offers, giving him a shy smile with a soft  _ thank you  _ that Mark only notices because he’s been looking at her. He also notices the pink blush on her cheeks.

_ She looks cute. _

_ But not as cute as Nana. _

“Not for me, thank you,” Jaemin quickly moves his hands to make his point clearer, and luckily for him, Mark is also quick to understand it.

Some minutes pass with Mark trying to understand what’s the conversation Ryujin and Jaemin are having, and the two of them just laughing every now and then.

Suddenly, the song changes to a slow one and Mark is ready to take the opportunity to finally take everything to the next level.

“Let’s dance?” he offers his hand to Jaemin, bending just a little in an attempt to copy those movies he used to watch as a kid.

But unlike those films where the female lead accepts within seconds the invitation, Jaemin shakes his head and flashes him an apologetic smile.

“I’m really tired,” he says, “but you can dance with Ryujin. She would love to! Right, Jin?”

The girl subtly nods, and before Mark can say anything else, Jaemin is pushing both of them to the dance floor.

He instantly places his hands on Ryujin’s waist as the girl wraps her arms around his neck.  _ And it feels nice but… _

They keep dancing, bodies moving slowly to the rhythm. At some point she rested her cheek on his shoulder and instead of finding it awkward, Mark likes her weight on him. 

And for a brief moment he forgets about the boy who’s looking at them with interest. 

It’s when Mark holds Ryujin’s hand and makes her spin that he’s brought back to reality. His eyes meet Jaemin’s.

And Jeno’s, who’s there too.

The song ends and that’s Mark’s cue to walk back to where he was standing in first place.

Behind him, Ryujin walks holding the sleeve of his jacket.

“Hey, man,” Jeno greets him with his characteristic eye-smile. He extends his hand to shake Mark’s, right then is when Mark notices how he’s holding Jaemin’s waist with the other.

“Hey, bro.”

“I heard you got a perfect score for your project, that’s awesome! I knew you and Nana could do amazing things together.”

Mark forces a smile and has to do a lot of effort to shut the voice in his head that repeats over and over again  _ yeah, Nana and I would do great together. _

“Why are you here?” he tries to sound cool, but by the way Jeno raises his eyebrows he knows it was far from that.

“Came to pick my boyfriend up,” Jeno replies and to Mark it feels like he made an unnecessary remark to the word  _ boyfriend.  _ “Nana hasn’t been feeling well lately so I’ll take him home now. Thank you for taking care of my baby, I knew I could trust you.”

Jeno’s words should make him feel something, and he knows rage should not be it. But he can’t help it. Not when he sees how Jaemin eagerly takes his hand or how he is the one who intertwined his fingers with Jeno’s. Not when he sees Jaemin leaning over him as they walk to the door, stealing some kisses from his best friend.

He knows he shouldn’t be feeling rage right now. 

But the heart wants what it wants.

_ And his heart only wants Jaemin. _

_ ☘︎︎☘︎︎☘︎︎ _

“Why?”

Jeno and Jaemin are only a few meters away from Jeno’s building. They walk in silence, enjoying the other’s company until Jeno finally asks the question Jaemin knows he’s been dying to do.

“Why?” the younger repeats, a grin making its way to his lips as Jeno stops for a second.

“Yeah, why. I don’t understand.”

There’s no anger in his voice, no trace of malice, not a single attempt to make him feel bad about himself even when Jaemin feels like he must. There’s nothing but pure curiosity and interest, nothing but pure love. Love Jeno feels for him.

“Then ask me properly.”

Jeno furrows and moves to stand in front of his boyfriend. He takes Jaemin by the hands and softly massages them with his thumbs.

“Why didn’t you talk with Mark about his feelings? He’s been pretty obvious.”

_ Why? _

That’s actually a great question. A question that made him think a lot ever since the first time he realized something was off, when a rose was way too perfect to be from someone who sells them casually. When he found a receipt on the floor of a classroom during one of their many hangouts. 

_ Why? _

_ Why didn’t Jaemin confront him? _

“Because I think we can be really good friends,” he answers, looking directly into Jeno’s eyes. “If I were to talk to him about his feelings for me, later it would be a stain in our relationship, something that would make our friendship harder to happen. And I don’t want that. As long as he doesn’t share his feelings with me or with you, we can all pretend that it never happened.”

He knows Jeno understands his motives. He knows it when he takes his hands and places a kiss on top of them. He knows it when he slides his arms around him in a hug he’s been needing for the past three weeks.

“I didn’t want any complications for us,” Jaemin mumbles against Jeno’s neck. “I know how it feels to have feelings for someone you should not, I know how it feels to not be chosen. I just don’t want Mark to go through it, not directly at least.”

Jaemin then feels Jeno’s lips against his in a sweet, reassuring kiss that’s exactly how their relationship feels like. Like home, like finally being where you’re supposed to. Jeno is all Jaemin ever asked for, and even more, and he wishes Mark could find his own person too.

“So, Ryujin…” Jeno tries when they are finally inside his room. “Do you think she…?”

“I don’t know,” Jaemin replies as he makes grabby hands to his boyfriend, “but she has liked him for a really long time now. Who knows?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this story!  
> Let me know what do you think?
> 
> [ twitter: jaenanam ](https://twitter.com/jaenanam)  
> [ curiouscat ](https://curiouscat.me/jaenanam)


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